<518 – Encounter with the Emperor 1>
“How is it~? Isn’t Jeido amazing~?”
Instead of the wary Eungchilgeom and Reap who were too intimidated by the atmosphere of the Okashii-ne, Masugaki casually brought up the topic.
“Hmm? Uh, yeah, it’s amazing!”
“Hah~? That doesn’t sound amazed at all! You should be gaping like a country bumpkin who just came to the city for the first time, drooling and your eyes following the buildings!”
“I wouldn’t be that surprised even if I were taken to Jeido!”
“Hmph. Being the youngest daughter of the mayor of Kanelle City, you’re already used to a good life, right? No way someone like you would react like a country bumpkin. But it seems like you’re surprisingly familiar with such a lively city~?”
“A little?”
“I thought the Foundation’s Agassi had no chance to experience something like this since they were training in secret places…”
When I slyly glanced at Oknodie’s side profile, all her focus was on the Jibsa Jang Okashii-ne.
How could someone who must have been training in a secret stronghold ever see a lavish city like Jeido? Seeing her disinterest in the city made me feel a bit sour.
“The Okashii-ne eats bad kids, you know♡”
“HyEEK! Really?!”
“Pfft. Why are you so surprised~? You don’t think you’re a bad kid, do you~?”
“Of, of course not…!”
“Here, a handkerchief♡ Perfect for a weakling who’s sweating like crazy♡”
“Thanks!”
After receiving the handkerchief, Oknodie pretended to wipe her forehead and stuffed it into her bag.
“…What are you doing?”
“Collecting!”
“Aren’t you going to give it back?”
“How about a trade handkerchief?”
“A trade handkerchief?”
“I’m not suggesting it because Masugaki’s handkerchief has collector’s value or anything!”
“Hmm~ So you really want my handkerchief that badly? Pfft. Weakling Oknodie, to be honest, I could have gotten you ten more handkerchiefs.”
“I don’t need that!”
“You don’t need them?!”
“One is enough for any collection!”
Hmm.
Heh.
It’s even better since it’s the only one in the world. So you really want to cherish my handkerchief that much. For some reason, I remembered the image of the assassin girl who always stuck to Oknodie.
“Did you get a handkerchief from Jiang too?”
“Yeah! It’s a handkerchief that can make someone faint with a high probability when used!”
“A handkerchief like that is so practical!”
I felt a twitch in the back of my head. I thought she was one of those haughty girls who pretended to be sophisticated just because she looked a bit stylish and elegant, but secretly she had already passed on a secret handkerchief to someone else.
The princess’s competitive spirit burned bright.
“Give me back my handkerchief♡”
“Taking back what you’ve given is bad! …But really, please return it?”
“Don’t worry♡ I want to put a special effect on my handkerchief too♡”
“If that’s the case, you probably don’t need to worry! Masugaki’s handkerchief is already special enough without any special effects, right? Its value as a collector’s item is top-notch!”
“Weakling Oknodie… Once you grow up, you’ll definitely be a monster who can rob a man’s entire fortune with just a finger♡”
“Suddenly, you’re cursing me?!”
As we were having that kind of banter, we had entered Jeido now.
As expected from the continent’s largest city, home to a population of 100 million, even the inner city had over ten million residents.
Moreover, the materials used for construction were standardized as we went further inside, giving the city’s landscape a sense of unity.
‘Such a big city is something you can’t see anywhere else in the world. Why are we not surprised?♡’
Could it be that I had secretly come to the capital before? That was the only way I could explain my nonchalance.
After all, Jeido was this vast.
If the Wahyhiemhai Foundation was set on infiltrating, it wouldn’t be surprising if no one noticed.
The foundation is also an organization wealthy enough to adapt to Jeido’s high cost of living.
“How rich is Oknodie’s family~?”
“Suddenly? Well, I’m not sure, but they’re definitely wealthy enough to gift a cruise ship!”
“That’s vague♡”
“Right?”
The maid of Oknodie looked at them incredulously and chimed in.
“Please refrain from making remarks that disrupt economic understanding, Agassi. That cruise ship was illegally rented by the pirate-turned-monster, Jigoku.”
So it was stolen!
“But at least you’re using it more effectively than Papa, right? It felt a bit wrong to only use such a nice ship to seal Anrage’s Apostle!”
“You need to develop a broader outlook, Agassi. Sealing an Apostle means that the deity’s representative is confined, and that religion can no longer exert its influence.”
“And so?”
“The Isajang has been preventing Anrage’s influence from reaching the ground.”
“Why would Papa do that?”
“Because it does not align with the Foundation’s interests. It’s as though a revolutionary had died because it did not benefit you, Agassi.”
“Aha. I see!”
Indeed, being unimpressed by the capital’s scenery is trivial compared to her uniqueness.
But one thing was still on my mind.
If the revolutionary was excluded because they interfered with her future, what about the Empire?
If the Empire was a target for exclusion…
What about myself?
‘Weakling Oknodie can be weak sometimes, but when she’s not, she’s astonishingly ruthless.’
It wouldn’t be weird for Oknodie, the one I had just laughed and chatted with, to stab a knife into my heart.
Believing that I would definitely be an exception is arrogance and delusion.
A princess dies when she makes a wrong judgment.
The more people that target her life, the higher the risk of death.
Especially if someone like Oknodie is after her life, one mistake could lead to death.
The more enjoyable the time spent with her, the louder that chilling warning voice grew in my heart.
“I see you were having a little chat. The Emperor will surely be pleased to hear this.”
“The Hwangje? Why?”
“The Empire has a history of rejecting all deities except for the one and only Sofemia. What a bold move the Foundation has taken in defying the world of gods. How could it not be seen favorably?”
“That’s strange… I just saw three Popes right in front of us. What was that about?”
“Indeed.”
The words from the Jibsa Jang Okashii-ne made Masugaki feel a bit serious.
That man always has such a way about him.
It sounds sweet on the surface, but when you dig deeper, the meaning doesn’t match up.
Even when Masugaki was much younger than now, he was no different.
—Why does the Old man Jibsa always say such outlandish things~? Is it because he’s old?
—Have you ever heard that the world is a continuous series of stories? The story of a couple falling in love can lead to another story of a happy marriage for the single woman who caught the bouquet.
—Heh~. So, the man who saw the single woman catching the bouquet ended up paired with her~?
—But have you ever thought about what a marriage really is? What the bouquet is? What is the happiness of a single woman? Hehehe.
—……?
—I quite enjoy such stories. That’s why I can hardly leave the side of His Majesty.
It’s a story that clearly doesn’t assume a normal, happy married life, which is implied.
That’s why it makes one hesitant to delve into the truth behind it, fearing the truth lies hidden.
The old man who enjoys such strange stories has always remained by His Majesty’s side since the day his father rose to the peak of the Empire.
That must be because his father has a collection of strange stories that suit the old man’s taste.
Until now, he hadn’t wanted to reveal that curtain, but now, with Oknodie, I felt brave enough.
‘If the friendship I could share with someone who could change dramatically when the time comes is nothing compared to that trivial secret♡’
Suppressing the creeping anxiety in my chest, I checked and adjusted my smiling face, which I used while living in the palace like armor.
Only then did I suddenly realize something.
‘Oknodie has been smiling the whole time.’
In Jeido.
On the way to Jeido.
Even far before that.
In classrooms, cafeterias, and dormitories.
At the Academy too.
‘Hmm~ Is this what it feels like~?’
I felt like I somehow understood the old man’s affection for his stories a bit more.
“The Empire’s Second Princess Masugaki has arrived.”
“Open the gates of the Hwanggung!”
As hundreds of layers of doors opened one by one, we moved closer to the throne room.
As I crossed over the thirtieth door, a shadow that stood starkly, indistinguishable from the shadows of the columns, turned its head.
“Masugaki. My foolish younger sister. You’ve gotten so blinded by power that you’ve caused a major incident.”
“Pfft. Why does my older brother look so proud while trying to kill his little sister~?”
The one who could bring dozens of retainers into the Hwanggung’s thirty gates, the officially recognized Crown Prince of the Empire, shot a cold gaze at Oknodie.
“The ominous child of the Foundation. What you can gain in this palace is only death. Regret for coming here on your own volition.”
“Nice to meet you too!”
“Sorry, weakling Oknodie. I unintentionally let you hear unpleasant words from my weak older brother.”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind at all! Masugaki is just as bad at talking nonsense!”
“I want to hit you♡”
“I’ll pass!”
While I was having a good time chatting with Oknodie, my older brother seemed determined to find a way to tear both of us apart by using the monster army as an excuse, completely ignoring the severity of the situation.
In the suffocating atmosphere, the doors where high-ranking officials were gathered for the royal council opened wide.
“Did you finally arrive, my daughter Masugaki.”
Passing through an entrance of physical doors, magical gates, and dimensional portals made up of thirty layers, the Emperor welcomed everyone from his throne.
“Your Majesty! The deity, Pake Hiuqmag, has reported. From the border regions to Jeido, they have gathered monsters to form an army, and have committed acts of rebellion against the Empire! Please punish Masugaki Hiuqmag for treason!”
The naive brother interrupted before he could even receive their father’s greeting.
He didn’t hesitate to dig into the parts that might seem worrisome on the way to Jeido!
The Emperor chuckled, causing the crown on his head to tremble slightly.
“Is your Empire so weak that it can crumble under a child’s play?”
“Your Majesty…? Even with eight legions, three Popes, and nineteen death squads deployed, we couldn’t prevent access to Jeido! And yet you refer to this as mere child’s play,”
“Pathetic. You are not fit to be here.”
No sooner had the Emperor finished speaking than one of the retainers guarding the Crown Prince exploded.
“The price of your rudeness has been paid by your retainer. You brought thirty with you, so if you plan to be rude twenty-nine more times, don’t think that everyone’s life is of equal value to yours. There are many who are less valuable than that.”
“Ugh! Your Majesty…!!”
The reason the Emperor never blinked at the crisis of Jeido’s invasion was that he himself was overwhelmingly strong, far beyond the legions or Eungchilgeom protecting him.
